New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-11
NO CURE FOR CONSUMPTION YET.
THE NEW REMEDY DECLARED A FAILURE,

PHYSICIANS WHO HAVE ABANDONED THE BERGEON
METHOD AFTER A THOROUGH TEST
In Bergcon method of treating consumption through
the use OF ga>eOus enemaa has attracted great dea
OF attention among physicians In private practice in
this city, and from those connected with It's many hos
pitfalls. Charity and other hospital patients suffering
from tuberculosis phthisis have been especial,
experimental upon. Hospital physicians naturally
took up the method tentatively An occasion al case
Is reported where a hysican became an enthusiast
on the subject Dr. Hogan, the house surgeon OF the
Charity Hospital, is said to have been who fol-
lowed experiments on the Bergeon system with srdor
for ime while HE assistant who had the direct and
personal charge of the patients, was sceptcal
throughout and, it is said declares the method
yslueess.
The use OF gaseous enemata for the Of consump
tion was taken up at Bellevue, Charity, the Work
house and the NewYork hospitals and at all of these
institutions 1t to have been abandoned for
the simple reason that experiments have shown that
there sis nothing In the method" Sulphureted ny
drogen. the gaseous agent employed, has been shown
tn be not germlcide, and this TACT ia reason
signed for the abandonment of this plan OF destrue-
ton OF tuberculosis. There Is profound and elabo-
rate mystery surrounding the results Of the adnins-
tration of gaseous enemata at the New-YorK Hospt H.
Two OF the younger lhyscians there employed under
the house surgeon, Dr. Richards, have made the inter-
esting statements given below, condemnatory OF the
method. Dr. Richards himself Was his vacation at
spon. to inquiries to the results Of the snemsta
preventing curing consumption DIR. Richards re-
piled prefer TO say nothing OF the matter. | am
preparing an article for Inc Medical Review and
shall there state my conclusions. The experiments
only in their tentative stage" DIR. Richards
rrtlred into the region OF psychometrc mystery and
had nothing to say to the fact that his assistants
norant of his desires, had unwttingy
proclaimed the Bsrgeon method complete failure,
and they had personal charge OF the cases. at least
more than halt of them.
This blowing up process" said one of the DOCTORS
was a complete failure tried 1t on four PATIENTS
The taec. OF the of the gas rather startling
The patients abdomen would be swellcd up rs tight
q drum and pains very much like collie resulted.
The sulphureted hydrogen undoubtedly passed
almost INN ediaelv into the lungs, but it had no
effect in staying the disease Tue method Is pretty
tough the pstieot. When l gave the enemata
before meals the patients appetite would be de-
siroyed ana If gave them alter meals vo hitting
would follow
The acting superintendent at Bellevue Hospital
stated that the Bergeoh system not In use there.
The effects OF the gaseous eneu.ata have IN many
cases been good aud encouraging for q period OF
some seven days; then patients have rcapsed The
,rovement tor the short time mentioned Is assigned
to mental causes the patients having faith that they
were TO be benefited by the treatment and throwing
all their souls into the belief, exercise upon them
selves the influence which il said to be brought to
bear in instances OF marked faith cures"
Dr. A. ". Collins, physician OF acute perceptions,
who had eleven of consumption under his charge
at he time the Bergeon method had it, run, and who
tried il on these patients at the Workhouse Hospital
en- Backwelis Island. states that be has ost all faith
in this vaunted cure /" The theory in the use oil
gaseous enemata." said he the other day at Bellevue
Hospital il that phthsis ponds the presence OF
bacl and that sul phurcted hydrogen Is ger mcide
antisepuc The gas IL introduced a- an enema and
il raj Oily absorbed Ilto the circulation, gong quickly
&c the ht heart and thence 70 the lungs The great
difficulty IN treating tuberculosis has been 10 bring
any e.srous other substance into contact with The
lung tissue, which sensitive that direct contact
with il IL impossible SO far surmounng his Diff
Guilty is concerned there Ia no doubt whatever that
the use OF gaseous enemaia has beena successful OK
pei iment Tor you smell sulphureted hydrogen in
the patients breath within short time alter its
introduction into the flmeutarv canal this TACT
showing that IL is quickly introduced into the creu-
lston and thence conveyed through the heart to the
lungs
L" mad eleven conservatives under my care Mt the
Workhouse Hospital and in each case there was an
Improvement Tor about week This was probably
moral effect. The patieu. was aware that new
thod promising great results for good, "a alleged
was being tried that the mental effect helped him
for "A time. Then a relapse into the former con-
ditou. In there permanent benefit de-
rived. The weeks temporary Improvement Was
effected in the same way with patient who did not
Ia We tuberculosis Gaseous enemata have been used
with good effect. am told, in cases OF sporadic
as hnla. But the general idea now prevalent among
phy sicans is that this method OF treatment IA fail
ure Il has been dropped at Bellevue Mt the Charity
Hospital and Oh the islands for this reason"